Pacific Beaches in LA

Description:

This, the southernmost beach in Malibu, is far less populated and much more easily accessible than most of its neighbors. This spot is more popular with fishermen and scuba divers, although swimmers and surfers seeking some private space may flock here as well. The drawbacks are the close proximity to the road, making it rather noisy, and the lack of amenities. There are restrooms, and lifeguards do patrol the beach, but primarily in summer, so call in advance if that is a concern. Parking is on the street.

Description:

Located where Topanga Canyon Road reaches the ocean, this beach affords views of both Santa Monica Bay and Catalina Island. Lifeguards are on duty here, although the facilities are limited, including only restrooms and a picnic area. This is a popular area with surfers due to the good waves near Topanga Creek. But perhaps best of all, it is ideally situated near shopping, hiking and dining-perfect for an entire day at the beach. Paid parking.

Description:

As well as being a great beach, this area contains a unique bird sanctuary where more than 200 species stop each year during their annual migrations. The only drawback here is that the water can be polluted at times, and swimming is not really an option when the lagoon is drained (twice monthly). Besides swimming, lounging and bird-watching, this is a popular scuba diving area because the reefs and kelp beds just offshore attract a range of marine life. The lagoon is where Malibu Creek meets the sea. The Adamson House (a National Historic Landmark) on the property was built in 1929 and is known for its decorative Malibu tiles and custom-built features. The home's seven-car garage has been converted into a museum that features displays about the Native Americans who once inhabited the area. Tours of the house are available. Part of the park, including the famous Surfrider Beach, is operated by Los Angeles County. The beach features 22 acres of coastline, offering surfing and bird-watching opportunities as well as fishing off the nearby pier. From Santa Monica, follow the Pacific Coast Highway 13 miles west.

Description:

Solstice Canyon Trail is an easy 2.1-mile stroll that affords views of Keller House, which is believed to be the oldest existing stone building in Malibu. On your way to Tropical Terrace, see if you can spy the low concrete retaining walls of a former fish pond in a grassy area overlooking the creek. Many other clues to the past remain even though the Roberts' Family home, once located at Tropical Terrace, burned in 1982. Look for house foundations and a concrete bomb shelter. Walk across the creek into a hidden sanctuary and garden. It's hard to imagine now, but at one time giraffes, camels, buffalo, African deer and exotic birds roamed the canyon on the Roberts' Ranch.

Solstice Canyon Trail, southwest of Tropical Terrace, is a hike through chaparral and coastal sage scrub to the west ridge of Solstice Canyon. From here you can see some of the best ocean views in the Santa Monica Mountains. Look for "Deer Valley," an area near an oak woodland and meadow known for its abundance of wildlife.

From Malibu take the Pacific Coast Highway west to Solstice Canyon. Park in second lot for trail access.

Description:

This restaurant happens to be the quintessential beach restaurant, where the atmosphere is laid-back and the general mood is that of fun and frolic. You can enjoy all the seafood specialities - be it crabs, shrimps or oysters! The fact that the spot is just a few feet away from the sea gives you breathtaking views apart from a unique ambience. What adds to the charm is the hospitable and warm staff, who make your wait for a table seem much shorter and most of all - worthwhile!

Description:

Point Dume State Beach preserves a wide strip of white-sand beaches backed by tall bluffs and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area west of Los Angeles. The park encompasses headlands, cliffs, secluded coves and tidepools. The beach offers views of the coast, including the sight of migrating California gray whales between November and May. Amenities include hiking trails, restrooms and lifeguard stations.

Recreation opportunities abound at this State Beach. Visitors can enjoy hiking, sun bathing, viewing scenery, wildlife watching and surfing. Swimming is permitted at Point Dume, but bathers should be aware of strong currents that sometimes exist.

This beach is located in Los Angeles County,18 miles west of Santa Monica. The entrance is on Westward Road.

Description:

Zuma Beach in Malibu is one of the most famous and popular beaches in Southern California. Its white sands go on for almost three miles. The locals refer to it simply as "Zuma" and it has been the site of numerous film and television shoots throughout the years including the 70s film starring Suzanne Somers appropriately titled 'Zuma Beach'.

Description:

This beach is private but there is public access to two sections. People come for the tide pools and the great surfing as well as the fishing. This is a nice, quiet place to spend the day away from the hustle and bustle of the city. There are not many huge crowds here so it is also a good place for a romantic picnic lunch for two. The beach is amazingly clean and the sand is white and fine. Get comfortable while you watch the talented surfers do their thing out in the crystal blue waves.

Description:

As one of the "pocket beaches" that make up the Robert Meyer Memorial State Beach, this is the perfect beach for a relaxed, quiet day in the sun. The beach is often not very crowded so you will have some real solitude. This is a popular spot for surfing and fishing and you will see a few lone surfers out in the water hanging ten and looking cool. Take a picnic lunch and lots of refreshments and you will have a great day ahead of you filled with sun, sea, sport and food. Children love the clean sand for building sandcastles.

Description:

El Pescador is Spanish for "the fisherman," and this beach, true to its name, is a popular spot for surf fishing. It also attracts diehard surfers who love the great waves. Take a picnic lunch for two or for the entire hungry family, and prepare for a day of sun, fun and sand that will relax you and make you feel that your cares are miles away. The locals love this quiet and secluded beach because you can bask and play in relative privacy. This is one of the small, beautiful "pocket beaches" that make up the Robert Meyer Memorial State Beach.

Description:

This beach is known as Zeros by locals and is the perfect place for surfing because of its desirable left point break. Sunbathers and joggers appreciate the clean stretch of sand. You will see many families here for the day with their picnic baskets and bathing suits. If you do not want to eat on the sand there are clean picnic tables where you can set up camp. Your kids will love this beach and you will love it too, whether you are there to relax, surf or just kick back.

Description:

This 1.5-mile beach, located 30 miles north of Santa Monica, was named after Leo Carrillo, a radio and TV performer. It allows leashed dogs everywhere except between towers 2 and 3. If you walk up under the freeway you will find lots of nice trails, but be careful of snakes. There's a snack bar across the street at the base of the mountain. The beach also features caves and the potential to observe marine animals as they pass by.

Description:

Covering an expanse of 17 miles of coastline, this is a good all-around beach. It stretches from the star-studded Pacific Palisades all the way into Malibu. Along with lifeguards and the usual amenities, the beach features good conditions for surfing and swimming, as well as volleyball courts and a playground. Lush picnic areas are provided within walking distance. Parking is chargeable per vehicle, and cash is the only payment accepted.

Our Local Expert Says:

This is a classic Los Angeles destination

Description:

This has long been one of L.A.'s most colorful areas and a must-visit for any first-time tourist. Founded at the turn of the last century, Venice was a development inspired by its Italian namesake. Authentic gondolas plied miles of inland waterways lined with rococo palaces. In the 1950s, Venice became the stamping grounds of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and other Beats. In the 1960s, this was the epicenter of L.A.'s hippie scene.

Today, Venice is still one of the world's most engaging bohemian locales. It's not an exaggeration to say that no visit to L.A. would be complete without a stroll along the famous paved beach path, an almost surreal assemblage of every L.A. stereotype -- and then some. Among stalls and stands selling cheap sunglasses, Mexican blankets, and "herbal ecstasy" pills swirls a carnival of humanity that includes bikini-clad in-line skaters, tattooed bikers, tan hunks pumping iron at Muscle Beach, panhandling vets, beautiful wannabes, and plenty of tourists and gawkers. On any given day, you're bound to come across all kinds of performers: mimes, break-dancers, stoned drummers, chain-saw jugglers, talking parrots, and the occasional apocalyptic...

Description:

The closest beach to LAX stretches for four miles from El Segundo north to Playa Del Rey. In addition to the normal amenities, this beach accommodates overnight campers with fire pits and RV campsites (reservations required). Other special features of this beach include bike rentals, a bike path, fishing, and scuba diving. But perhaps the best and most surprising feature is the quiet and solitude that can be found here despite its proximity to such a large airport. This park consists of a wide, white-sand beach that extends three-miles between Playa del Rey and El Segundo, California. Facilities at this site include a picnic area, restrooms and playground. Jetties provide the best fishing opportunities. The setting would be ideal were it not for the constant roar of jet engines from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This park lies immediately west of the LAX terminal.

Visitors to Dockweiler State Beach can enjoy swimming, surfing, fishing and picnicking. Fires are permitted at this State Beach.

This beach is located in Los Angeles County, at the western terminus of Imperial Highway along Vista del Mar Boulevard in Playa del Rey.

Description:

Located between Dockweiler and Manhattan Beaches (though technically in the city of Manhattan Beach) is this less crowded beach. The sparse crowds are mostly due to its proximity to the Chevron Oil Refinery and the lack of some amenities. Despite these minor drawbacks, the beach has lifeguards, rest rooms and showers, as well as metered parking, which is usually easy to come by.

Description:

This is generally considered one of the top beaches in the L.A. area. Hermosa is quite similar to its neighbor Manhattan Beach, though it has the added bonus of pedestrian-only public spaces teeming with shops, restaurants and people. One of the world's beach sports Meccas, this is the site of both beach volleyball's Hermosa Beach Open at the end of August and surfing's International Surf Festival also in August. Just be advised that summer crowds can be frighteningly large.

Description:

This is one of the best beaches around due to its proximity to shops and restaurants. The constant entertainment here on weekends comes in many forms, most notably as volleyball and surfing tournaments. This stretch of sand can claim to be both the inspiration and hangout of the Beach Boys in their early days, as well as the birthplace of beach volleyball. The oldest beach volleyball tournament in the world, the Manhattan Beach Open, is held here annually in late July. Limited free parking, metered parking and parking lots are available.

Description:

Heading southbound, this is the first beach on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Like so many of the accessible seaside areas here, this is not really a beach for lounging as much as it is for tide exploring, rock and shell collecting and surfing. Still, basic amenities are provided. For those with rock-climbing wanderlust, head south around Flat Rock Point to Bluff Cove, another popular surf spot. Parking can be found at the Torrance State Beach to the north. No lifeguards are posted here, so swimmers beware!

Description:

The largest of the southern beach towns, Redondo has a large marina, a wrap-around pier and, of course, the standard boardwalk. The area is more popular for sportfishing and eating out than beachgoing, but this is a fine beach and the fewer surfers here make it better for swimmers. The pier, like many L.A. County beaches, was severely damaged by storms in 1988, but the city spared no expense in rebuilding by constructing an $11 million maritime-themed complex.

Description:

Heading southbound on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, this is one of the last beaches before reaching the port of San Pedro. It's also one of the few on the peninsula with a good stretch of sand. Secluded and primarily frequented by locals, this beach nonetheless provides lifeguards and restrooms, in addition to peace and quiet. Due to the unique land formation (atop which sits the beach), this is one of the best places in the entire area to take in a sunset.